->''"Remember, no matter where you go, there you are."''-->-- '''Buckaroo Banzai'''

''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension'' is a 1984 film written by Earl Mac Rauch and directed by W.D. Richter that is one part BMovie, one part ActionAdventure, one part comedy, and one part political satire.

It boasts some names that were quite famous in the [[TheEighties 1980s]] and remain well known now:

* Creator/PeterWeller as Buckaroo Banzai* Creator/JohnLithgow as Dr. Emilio Lizardo/Lord John Whorfin* Ellen Barkin as Penny Priddy* Creator/JeffGoldblum as New Jersey* Creator/ChristopherLloyd as John [[InsistentTerminology/LiveActionFilms Bigbooté]]* Pepe Serna as Reno Nevada* Creator/ClancyBrown as Rawhide* Creator/CarlLumbly as John Parker* Vincent Schiavelli as John O'Connor* Dan Hedaya as John Gomez* Yakov Smirnoff as the National Security Advisor* Billy Vera as Pinky Carruthers* Creator/JamieLeeCurtis also appears as Buckaroo's mother in an opening sequence cut from the film, but has since been included in the film's more recent home video releases.

Despite this rather auspicious listing of A and high B list actors, the movie was not well received in theaters. Once it was released to home video, however, it has since developed a cult following.

Brilliant scientist Buckaroo Banzai is [[TheAce a neurosurgeon who performs rock and roll (on multiple instruments, yet!) and studies the unknown]]. Surrounded by his faithful team of genius rockers, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, he travels the world pleasing the fans with music, and facing off against evil wherever he may find it.

In this adventure, one of many ShroudedInMyth, Buckaroo goes from surgery to the test of the dimension-hopping Jet Car, to a performance at New Brunswick NJ night spot Artie's Artery. As Buckaroo turns the mood mellow with a solo piano performance of "Since I Don't Have You", a gunshot fires. Penny Priddy was trying to commit suicide, but because Buckaroo has many enemies, a misunderstanding results in her being arrested for attempting to kill him. Meanwhile, the Black Lectroids have sent an agent to Earth to warn Buckaroo that their historic enemies the Red Lectroids will try to steal his invention the Oscillation Overthruster (which the Jet Car used to enter the 8th Dimension) and use it to release their comrades from interdimensional exile. To stop them from causing trouble back on Planet Ten, the Black Lectroids will then fire a particle beam from U.S. airspace to the USSR, which will start WorldWarThree, which will hopefully result in vaporizing the bad guys. This, needless to say, does not bode well for Earth. The U.S. Government also wants the Jet Car for military applications. Buckaroo has a lot on his plate, but will he manage to save the world, get the girl, and keep the Jet Car from being misused?

More recently, the rights to the property have found themselves in the hands of a certain Creator/KevinSmith, who has announced plans to produce a Buckaroo Banzai television series, a lead-in from his stint working with ''Series/TheFlash2014''. Kevin Smith has stated that he will reboot the concept with the plot of the 1984 film functioning as the first season's story arc, leading to a projected second season based on the sequel-that-never-was, ''Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League''.

Not to be confused with the likewise outrageously alliterative rock and roll action comedy: ''Film/TheAdventuresOfFordFairlane''.

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!!This film includes examples of:

* TheAce: Barely acknowledged. Banzai is the world's foremost [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot surgeon-rockstar-physicist-adventurer]], but he treats everyone like an equal.* AcidTripDimension: Buckaroo's trip through the 8th dimension.* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: Penny and Buckaroo have a quiet moment together before the battle against the Lectroids begins in earnest.* AliensSpeakingEnglish: The Lectroids.* AlliterativeName: Buckaroo Banzai and Penny Priddy* AllThereInTheManual: The novelization and the DVDCommentary include a great deal of explanation and backstory.* ArchEnemy: Hanoi Xan, leader of the World Crime League, is this to Buckaroo Banzai, despite never appearing on screen.* AscendedFanboy** Buckaroo has a worldwide fan organization called the Blue Blaze Irregulars, who monitor the airwaves to answer the call from Buckaroo at a moment's notice. Casper Lindley and his son Scooter answer one such call and end up accompanying Team Banzai for the rest of the movie.** New Jersey, the newest member of the Hong Kong Cavaliers, also qualifies.*** Arguable, at best, since apparently the only Cavalier he's heard of is the unseen Pecos.* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Banzai isn't a Japanese surname. It's a part of the famous Japanese "banzai charges" during World War 2, in which Japanese soldiers would shout "''Tenno Heika Banzai!''" which roughly means "Long live His Majesty, the Emperor!" * AwesomeAnachronisticApparel: Everything from cowboy outfits to samurai stuff.* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Penny Priddy, thanks to John Emdall.]]** According to WordOfGod [[spoiler: Rawhide got better too.]]** The novel implies that [[spoiler:Penny Priddy may actually be Peggy Banzai. Clues include: Captain Happen (a minor character in a flashback) screaming "Peggy's Alive!" before jumping out a window, Peggy's dug-up coffin revealed to be empty, and surgical scars ("the most skilled I've ever seen") found behind Penny's ears, suggesting brain surgery.]]* BackupTwin: Penny is suspected of being Buckaroo's late wife's identical twin. He develops a relationship with her as well.* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Orson Welles' ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' Broadcast wasn't a fake. He was trying to flush out the ''actual'' alien invaders.* BigBad: Lord John Whorfin, leader of the aliens trying to return to the 8th Dimension.* BigDamnHeroes: The Hong Kong Cavaliers storm the Yoyodyne facility using their band ''[[RefugeInAudacity tour bus]]''.* BigElectricSwitch: Emilio Lizardo/Lord Whorfin uses them twice.* BloodlessCarnage: Penny Priddy is all battered and bruised when the good guys get her back from the bad guys, but we see no blood.* BlownAcrossTheRoom: When John Bigbooté spits a starfish at Sam, the Jet Car mechanic.* ButNotTooForeign: Buckaroo is half-Japanese, though he's played by a fully white man. His heritage is occasionally referenced through costuming, such as wearing a headband during his test flight and meditating in a samurai outfit.* ChewingTheScenery: John Lithgow as Lord Whorfin, a maniacal tyrant from the 8th dimension who is possessing Dr. Lizardo.* ColdBloodedTorture: Whorfin using the Shock Tower on Buckaroo and Penny Priddy's torture.* CommLinks: Buckaroo and Rawhide each have one.* CoolCar: The Jet Car, and the Hong Kong Cavaliers' tour bus* CowTools: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpVXpCNFOSg "Why is there a watermelon there?" "I'll tell you later."]]* CrypticBackgroundReference: Lots of them.* CurtainCall: During the end credits, Buckaroo and all of the heroic characters assemble in a dry urban aqueduct to march together while synth music thumps to the rhythm of their steps.* DamselInDistress: Penny Priddy spends most of the film captive and tormented by the villains.* DeathIsDramatic: [[spoiler:Rawhide and Penny both.]] * DemonicPossession: A variant; the human Emilio Lizardo has been taken over by the alien John Whorfin.* DisposableWoman: Peggy Banzai, Buckaroo's dead wife.* DopeSlap: Whorfin to the guard who couldn't turn on the TV to show Penny's torture.* DVDCommentary: Done ''in character'' by Earl Mac Rauch as Reno Nevada, who explains how the events in the movie differ from the actual events as they occurred to Buckaroo and company.* EjectEjectEject: During the jet car test one of the mission controllers tells Buckaroo this.* FinalSpeech: [[spoiler:Rawhide]].* FiveManBandConcert: The Hong Kong Cavaliers number greater than five, but there are five playing at Artie's Artery.* {{Flashback}}: Early scenes depict the tests of the Jet Car, and the accident that caused Lizardo to end up with Whorfin living in his head.* FlashbackBackBack: At the beginning of the flashback to Lizardo's accident.* FruitOfTheLoon: See "why is there a watermelon there?"* GadgeteerGenius: Buckaroo invented the Jet Car and (with Professor Hikita) the Oscillation Overthruster, among other things.* GoodColorsEvilColors:** Red Lectroids are evil, Black Lectroids are good. This works in both their human and native appearances. Red Lectroids are disguised as red-headed white humans and Black Lectroids are black Rastafarians with Jamaican accents. ** In their human guises, Red Lectroids have bright, orangey red hair. When Lizardo gets possessed by Lord John Whorfin, his previously black hair suddenly turns bright red.* GogglesDoSomethingUnusual: John Emdall sends Buckaroo a {{Hologram}} recording that can only be viewed by wearing special Lectroid-made eyewear. Which looks suspiciously like bubble wrap.* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: The U.S. Department of Defense, in the form of its Secretary.* GreaterScopeVillain: Hanoi Xan, leader of the World Crime League -- mentioned on the novelization, the DVDCommentary and in the Buckaroo comic books. He engineered Peggy Banzai's murder.* GroinAttack: Buckaroo kicks a Red Lectroid in the groin after being discovered.* GunFu: In the climactic base invasion, Buckaroo shoots three Lectroids surrounding him by passing his gun ''behind his head'' twice.* {{Hachimaki}}: Buckaroo ties one around his head before the jet car speed run.* HandSignals: During the infiltration of Yoyodyne, Perfect Tommy makes a "come on" signal to the rest of his team.* {{Headdesk}}: Perfect Tommy lightly bumps his head against the prison bars while Buckaroo is talking to Penny Priddy in jail. The expression on his face and later dialogue indicates that he's doing it out of disbelief that Buckaroo is wasting his time with a woman who tried to kill him.* HeroesRUs: the Banzai Institute, located in East Brunswick NJ is Buckaroo's headquarters and the place where the Hong Kong Cavaliers and the rest of Buckaroo's staff bunk between assignments/jobs/missions.* HeroStoleMyBike: Buckaroo takes advantage of an unattended motorcycle to pursue the Red Lectroids. The owner shouts at him until he recognizes Buckaroo. * {{Hologram}}: The message from John Emdall, generated by a record player-like device.* HomemadeInventions: the Jet Car.* HostageForMacGuffin: Lord John Whorfin demands the Oscillation Overthruster in return for Penny Priddy's life.* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: The Eighth Dimension happens to be where the evil Red Lectroids were exiled as well as the dimension that vehicles using the Oscillation Overthruster to pass through solid matter wind up in. It's also apparently a combination of Jan Svenkmayer animation, electron microscopy, and nausea-inducing swerving.* IHaveYourWife: When they grab "Doctor" Penny Priddy, the first order of business is trying to get Buckaroo to submit to a hostage exchange for the overthruster. [[DownplayedTrope Penny puts up a brave front; Buckaroo tells her to get off the phone.]]* InsistentTerminology: On multiple occasions the Red Lectroid John Bigbooté has his name mispronounced. Lord Whorfin calls him "Bigbooty" and the U.S. Secretary of Defense calls him "Big Boot". Near the end of the movie he actually gets shot by Lord Whorfin because of his angry insistence that his surname be pronounced "big-boo-TAY".* {{Joisey}}: Almost all the Earthside action takes place in New Jersey.-->'''PA Voice:''' Warning: We are not in the Eighth Dimension. We are over New Jersey.* LargeHam: John Lithgow gorges himself on scenery as Lord John Whorfin. He admits as much in retrospective interviews.* LastKiss: Buckaroo tries to give one to Penny Priddy after she dies, but it partially revives her. He finishes bringing her back with a TrueLovesKiss.* LieDetector: The Shock Tower that Lord Whorfin hooks Buckaroo up to.* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: All Buckaroo media [the movie, the comics, the novels] are all supposedly based on the adventures of Buckaroo himself, who is not a character, but a real person.* LongLostSibling: Penny is the long lost twin sister of Buckaroo's dead wife, Peggy. Maybe.* MadScientist: Dr. Emilio Lizardo after he's possessed by Lord John Whorfin.* MeaningfulName: Penny ''Priddy''.* MidairRepair: Buckaroo jumpstarts his borrowed Lectroid ship while it's in free fall.* MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot: Kidnapping and theft -> A plot to conquer a planet and the possible start of WorldWarIII.* NaiveNewcomer: New Jersey (the character so nicknamed, not the place).* NeckLift: Lord John Whorfin to an insane asylum attendant and John Bigbooté to the Secretary of Defense.* NeckSnap: Lord John Whorfin to the attendant he {{Neck Lift}}ed, and John Parker to a miniature Red Lectroid.* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Musician-surgeon-physicist-commando-adventurers!* NoodleIncident: Practically half the script consists of offhand references to unseen adventures or bizarre events that are never expanded upon.* NoOSHACompliance: The Yoyodyne facility.* {{Novelization}}: The novel, by Earl Mac Rauch himself, provides so much fun extra material that it could count as a one-volume ExpandedUniverse all by itself.* OffhandBackhand: John Bigbooté does it to one of the hunters.* OffingTheAnnoyance:-->[[spoiler:'''John Bigboote]]:''' [[spoiler:We've had our chance! Your overthruster's for shit! We're lost!]]-->[[spoiler:'''Lord John Whorfin]]:''' [[spoiler:One more word out of you, Bigbooty...]]-->[[spoiler:'''John Bigboote]]:''' [[spoiler:[screaming] [[ItsPronouncedTroPay BIG-BOO-]]''[[ItsPronouncedTroPay TAY!]]'' [[ItsPronouncedTroPay TAY! TAY!]]]]-->[[spoiler:[Whorfin shoots him[=]=]]]* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Buckaroo Banzai is a neurosurgeon ''and'' physicist.* OneDimensionalThinking: Buckaroo tries to get away from a pursuing truck by running straight down the road.* OneSteveLimit: Hilariously averted. ALL the Lectroids are named John. It's the second major clue Team Banzai has that something's fishy at Yoyodyne.* OperatorIncompatibility: Buckaroo has some difficulty flying the Red Lectroid Thermopod thanks to this.* ParodySue: Buckaroo himself is a rock-and-rolling neurosurgeon, surrounded by other genius musicians who save the world regularly from the forces of evil.* PistolWhipping: a Blue Blaze Irregular knocks out John Parker while he's infiltrating Buckaroo's estate.* PlanetOfSteves: The Lectroids all have the first name "John". [[AllThereInTheManual The novelization]] states that in the Lectroid language, it's not a name but something closer to an honorific -- something somewhere between "Hey, you!" and "Mister".* PreInsanityReveal: When [[spoiler: Dr. Emilio Lizardo]] first appears he's locked up in an insane asylum and acts crazy. While he's undergoing self-inflicted electroshock therapy there's a FlashBack of what happened to him. [[spoiler: He was originally a scientist who worked with Professor Hikita to develop a prototype version of the Oscillation Overthruster. During a test of the device he was possessed by the Red Lectroid leader Lord John Whorfin.]]* PsychicPowers: Buckaroo is hinted at having them. He displays a bit of empathy, determining "someone isn't having a good time."* PowerWalk: averted in the end credits, though it can be thought of as an embryonic version.* PutDownYourGunAndStepAway: An armed John Bigbooté grabs Professor Hikita at the conference.-->'''John Bigbooté:''' Let those gunbelts hit the floor! Nobody follows, or the Prof is history!* PutTheirHeadsTogether: The newly possessed Dr. Lizardo does it to two of his colleagues.* RammingAlwaysWorks: Lord Whorfin's troopship vs. the Red Lectroid thermopod. [[AvertedTrope Except it doesn't.]]* RecursiveCanon: See LiteraryAgentHypothesis.* RecycledTrailerMusic: Buckaroo did poorly, in part, due to poor promotion. Movies made thereafter learned from this unfortunate mistake.* RenaissanceMan: Buckaroo Banzai and his Hong Kong Cavaliers are scientists, paramilitary secret agents and rock stars all in one.* RevolversAreJustBetter: they're Buckaroo's favourite weapons. He has a pair specifically for when he catches Hanoi Xan.* RoomFullOfCrazy: Dr. Emilio Lizardo's room in the asylum was covered in notes for the Overthruster he'd been working on at the time of the accident that caused him to [[SharingABody share a body]] with an evil Lectroid.* RousingSpeech: Delivered in glorious, [[LargeHam epically hammy]] style by Lord John Whorfin to the Red Lectroids as they prepare to enter the 8th dimension, free their trapped comrades, and seize control of Planet Ten.-->'''Dr. Lizardo''': History! Is a-made at a-night. Character! Is a-what you are in-a de dark! [[PunctuatedForEmphasis We must-a work! While the clock! She is a-ticking!]] [[NoInsideVoice WHERE ARE WE GOING?]]-->'''Red Lectroids''': PLANET TEN!-->'''Dr. Lizardo''': WHEN?-->'''Red Lectroids''': [[RealSoonNow REAL SOON!]]* RuleOfCool: Hard-rocking scientists who make breakthroughs in all fields of scientific endeavor between playing gigs at dive bars and saving the world? Yeah, the film is made from the trope.* RunningGag: Mispronouncing John Bigbooté's name.-->'''John Bigbooté:''' "It's big-boo-TAY! TAY!"* ScienceHero: Buckaroo himself. All the Hong Kong Cavaliers are implied to be this, though the only one shown doing any science in the film is New Jersey, who starts the film assisting Buckaroo with a complicated neurosurgical procedure, and Perfect Tommy, who hacks into Yoyodyne's employment records.* ScreamDiscretionShot: the scene during which the Red Lectroids torture Buckaroo.* SeeYouInHell: Lord John Whorfin to Buckaroo just before Buckaroo blows him up.* SelfDestructMechanism: Used to prevent the Red Lectroids from capturing the Black Thermopod.* SequelSnark: Talks about Buckaroo Banzai returning to fight the forces of Hanoi Xan. This was actually meant as a straight up SequelHook, but the film's failure scrapped those plans.* ShootTheBullet: Banzai does this when one of the Red Lectroids spits at him[[note]]which we've seen is deadly[[/note]].* ShoutOut: the name of Yoyodyne was inspired by a similarly named company in Creator/ThomasPynchon's ''Literature/TheCryingOfLot49''.* ShroudedInMyth: Buckaroo's early past involving his wife Peggy.* SorryThatImDying: Rawhide* SpitefulSpit: Penny Priddy to Lord John Whorfin while he's interrogating her.* StockShoutOuts** The makers of some of the later ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series liked making references to this film. The fact that a good chunk of the art department from ''Next Generation'' on through ''Enterprise'' previously worked on ''Buckaroo Banzai'' may have something to do with this.** The film's iconic "Why is there a watermelon there" scene is homaged in a 2012 [[Creator/MarvelComics Kitty Pryde/Tony Stark A+X]] story.** The mysterious Dr. B Banzai and his Banzai Institute are rather important minor characters in TabletopGame/BattleTech.* StormingTheCastle: The infiltration of and attack on the Yoyodyne facility.* SurpriseVehicle: Buckaroo and the ladder from the Blue Blaze Irregular helicopter.* TakingTheBullet: Rawhide, to save Buckaroo from the poisonous mini-starfish a Red Lectroid spat at him.* TapOnTheHead: Red Lectroids do it to several humans, and one of Buckaroo's Blue Blaze Irregulars does it to the Black Lectroid John Parker.* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: In a scene cut from the movie, but included in the DVD extras, while Team Banzai watch John Emdall's holographic message and Emdall threatens to fire a particle beam at Smolensk if Banzai fails to stop Whorfin:-->'''Perfect Tommy''': That's an action that the Kremlin would most certainly misinterpret as an American first strike.\\'''John Emdall''': That is correct, Perfect Tommy!* ThatsAnOrder: StockPhrase used by the state trooper when he tells the Yoyodyne employees to leave the Black Thermopod alone.* ThemeNaming: all the Lectroids, Red or Black, are named John when their names are translated into Earth English. Even the females. * ThemeTuneCameo: New Jersey plays part of the movie's main theme on the piano.* ThisAintRocketSurgery: Actually it is. Buckaroo is capable of both brain surgery and rocket science. And so are most of the Hong Kong Cavaliers.* TrackingDevice: There is apparently one of these on the Oscillation Overthruster (or possibly Penny Priddy), as Buckaroo uses a signal detector to find her inside Yoyodyne.* TrashcanBonfire: In the Red Lectroid bivouac and Pitt inside the Yoyodyne building.* TrueLovesKiss: Buckaroo uses one to resurrect Penny Priddy.* UnfortunateNames** Buckaroo is his real first name, owing to his father's enamorment with cowboys.** A significant number of the Red Lectroids had UnfortunateNames: John Yaya, John Smallberries, John Icicle Boy, John Bigbooté (whose name was [[RunningGag pronounced]] [[InsistentTerminology/LiveActionFilms Big Boo Tay]], thank you).* UnusualUserInterface: Apparently, the Lectroids have important controls operable using their feet. This normally wouldn't sound odd, but these controls happen to be levers rather than pedals. It gives Buckaroo a bit of trouble while he's trying to figure out how to pilot a Thermopod. The Black Lectroid with him does mention that the design is very bad.* VoiceOfTheLegion: Lord John Whorfin.* WaitHere: Buckaroo to Penny Priddy during the Red Lectroid burglary. Of course she disobeys him by leaving his room, wanders around and gets captured by the bad guys.* WaxingLyrical: Some of Lord John Whorfin's more eccentric pronouncements are actually song lyrics. ("I feel so broke up, I want to go home.")* WidgetSeries: When Creator/JeffGoldblum as a cowboy named New Jersey is only the tip of the weirdness iceberg, you're definitely a W(H)AT.* WorldOfBadass: Part of the movie's appeal is that there isn't a single character who ''isn't'' quite the badass.* WorldOfHam: Ah, come on... do we really have to explain this one?* WrongGenreSavvy: New Jersey joins the Hong Kong Cavaliers in a ridiculous cowboy outfit.* YellowPeril: Hanoi Xan, apparently.* YourOtherLeft: Buckaroo and John Parker are in a thermopod; John Parker is steering, and Buckaroo is navigating -- while seated in a backward-facing chair: "Left! I said ''left''! ... I meant ''my'' left, your right!"----